Monday, January 11, 2016

#WistiaChat with Caleb Wojcik: All Things Video Editing

Whew! What a #WistiaChat! A huge thanks to everyone who joined our chat all about mastering the edit, with guest Caleb Wojcik of DIY Video Guy! We had folks join from cities all over the world, including Brazil, the UK, New Zealand, and India! From tips and tricks to best practices on any software, we were flooded with information for video editors of all levels. Find some in-depth editing questions and Caleb’s answers in the Community thread. ### Software loyalty We all have loyalties to our favorite software. When asked which video editing software Wistians preferred, we heard an overwhelming cry for Adobe Premiere. We use Premiere Pro at Wistia too! You all loved the built in workspaces and seamless Adobe integration. Final Cut Pro came in second, with folks citing the integrations and simplicity as key reasons for use. Some Wistians take a different route using Camtasia, Stupeflix, and Screenflow for their video editing projects. Whatever your software choice, you probably have your own workflow.
See which software everyone chose as their loyal editing companion in this part of the chat. ### Editing challenges are everywhere—and there’s always someone around to help Wistians agree—the biggest challenges come when you sit down for your first pass at the edit. Organize your folders first and develop a vision for your video. From there, sort out the basics and note what to focus on during the next editing pass. You can’t fix everything at once.
Audio challenges came in second. From audio gain adjustment to finding the right music—it can be tricky to get your video to sound perfect. If you’re looking for a song, try our Wistia music library, where you can download free, quality tracks.
Find out what other Wistians noted as their biggest editing challenges in this section of the conversation. ### Shooting for the edit In order to sit down to a simple and clean editing process, you need to think about the edit while shooting your video. Wistians had a ton of suggestions. From hand motions and snaps to audio cues, mark every take to make your editing process simpler.
Sit down for a pre-shoot interview with your actors. Get to know their story, make sure they’re calm and loose, and let them know how the shoot is going to go. Relaxed actors make for an easy and fun shoot—and less takes for you to edit.
Put together a shot list—many Wistians use Trello to get organized. The extra planning will make sure you have the footage you need without missing anything.
You can see what all our Wistian editors said about shooting for the edit here. ### What we wish we knew as beginner editors There’s a lot you can do to get better at editing in a snap. For starters, Wistians depend on keyboard shortcuts. Knowing the shortcuts for your platform can save you a ton of time editing your videos. Keep this Adobe Premiere Pro shortcut cheat sheet handy when you edit your next video and watch your editing time shrink—there’s also a sheet for Final Cut Pro. We heard a ton of support for hand tricks and snaps during good takes. You can see our very own Chris Lavigne explain how he marks a good take in this video.
File organization is critical. Make sure your projects all live in the same place and that they’re easy to find. You’ll end up having more copies than you thought—especially if you have to get approval from a client or higher-up.
Most importantly, stay positive and don’t get overwhelmed. Play with your editing software and see what you can do with a short personal project. From there, keep on learning—there’s always something new to try. See everyone’s favorite newbie editing tips here. ### Ask for feedback and advice when you need it Great videos take time, several passes, and a lot of feedback. Ask for help and consult other video producers and editors before letting it into the wild. During the chat, Wistians had a ton of great resources they turn to when seeking help.
- The Wistia Community has a handy “Feedback” section just for you! Post your videos, ask for advice and support, and Wistians will eagerly get back to you with ideas on making your video as good as can be. - Film Riot, Story and Heart, Levi Allen, and others have great tips and tricks for moving your video from good to great. Definitely something to bookmark! - Lynda and Coursera are educational platforms where you can learn more about your craft. You can find all sorts of video editing tutorials to move you forward. - Your good friend Google can also lend a hand. Don’t know how to get around something? Google it! Thanks to the internet and the power of SEO—we can find the answers to our video editing challenges, in .02614 seconds. Want more info? Go through the Storify to see what we thought were empowering answers to our #WistiaChat editing questions. Then jump in the Community and give your take! (Get it? Because video lingo? Take? It’s funny!)

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